Leasehold house query?

Hello, As the title of this thread suggests, I have a leasehold query. My query is my uncle has a leasehold house with around 800 years left and with no conditions attached to the lease so all fine and dandy that end (the lease states merely £2 plus insurance rent (whatever that means) only.

The little ground rent has never been asked for either in all these years.

It also been owned almost 30 years now. It seems unbeknownst to my uncle, however, a full 13 years after him owning the house, someone became the freeholder and (at least then) lived 60 miles away.

The curious thing is if you ‘inherit’ properties, the price paid feature (implemented since 1995) does not happen – in this case it states that the said person paid a couple of hundred pounds.

He thinks it was an absentee landlord leasehold when bought, at any rate that freeholder has never been in touch, let alone asked for the ground rent he says.

So he and I are just scratching our heads as to what has happened.

Has anyone got an explanation?

Sam